They Try So Hard

It's tough for foster pets to come into a new home - most especially a new home that is completely unlike their previous home. And when that previous home is the only home they've ever known, well, it hurts sometimes to watch them struggle to adjust. Of course some dogs adjust more easily than others, but the most difficult ones are the older dogs who lose the only home they've ever known. This is the case for three of my five current fosters, and while they're all making progress toward settling in, it can be alternately humorous and heart-breaking to watch their efforts.


 Duchess is five years old, and she lived with one family since she was adopted as a puppy. Then she went to a shelter for awhile, and then to my house. She is the perfect dog - sweet, laid-back, perfect manners. She was probably an only dog, because she ignored all of the other dogs for several weeks. She's just starting to try to play with the other dogs, and she doesn't seem to know quite what to do. Ziggy, Tulsa and Roxy will chase each other around the house or yard, and she'll run behind them as fast as she can, not usually able to catch them. If she does catch them, she'll jump into the middle of them, and then stand there as if thinking "now what do I do?" I have to be careful because she doesn't have great dog-dog skills when it comes to playing, and the other dogs sometimes misconstrue her attempts to play as aggression. But I don't want to discourage her from learning to play, so I'm just monitoring them closely and intervening when necessary, since I know that her communication skills should improve with practice.  I am excited that she's starting to relax enough to play with the other dogs!



 Roxy is three years old, and she also lived with one family since she was a puppy. She was also an only pet, but she has pretty good dog-dog skills. She does have some separation anxiety though, and refuses to let me out of her sight. She even follows me into the shower! I tried to show her there was nowhere for me to disappear in there, but she refused to believe it. So this means we go everywhere together - outside or inside. When I leave for work I have to crate her, and she cries piteously. She sleeps, not just on my bed, but pushing me halfway off the edge, so as to be as close to me as possible. She'll stop eating if I walk more than two steps from her bowl, and she won't go outside unless I go out with her. I am trying to keep her on a routine so that she will learn that even though I leave, I always come back, and it is okay for her even if I'm not there. I'm hoping to someday take a shower again without her help.


And then there's Bunny. I only wish she had a bit of the separation anxiety that Roxy has. She's lived the first five years of her life in a puppy mill, and is terrified of people. She's getting a  bit more comfortable around me, but still doesn't like me to touch her. She also is afraid of the hardwood floors, so limits herself to one small area of the room that is covered by a tarp (to make clean-up easier since she isn't house-trained). It's tough to house-train a dog that doesn't want to be touched, won't walk on the floor, and is scared to go outside. This is what puppy mills do to dogs by leaving them in small cages with no human interaction for their entire lives. So please, don't buy a puppy from a pet shop or from anywhere that you can't meet the parents and see their living conditions for yourself. Don't support the people who treat the puppies' parents this way. Bunny is trying really hard to learn to be a normal dog, but I'm not sure that she ever will be. My goal by the end of the summer is to get her to enjoy the outdoors. She wants to go outside very much, but she's afraid. If I carry her out to the deck, she seems to enjoy herself, but she won't go a foot beyond the safety of her crate or dog bed.  I wish there was some way I could make her feel safer.

At the other extreme, Tulsa and Ziggy, my last two foster dogs, seem completely comfortable at my house. Ziggy has never lived anywhere else since he was a puppy, except a short stay at doggie boot camp, and he thinks he owns the entire house (or at least the room where his crate is). Although I'm pretty sure that anywhere Ziggy goes, he is immediately comfortable. The dog has more self-confidence than any other dog I've ever met! Tulsa on the other hand, is not as self-confident, but she is quick to adjust to a new home. She's had a lot of practice, this being at least her eighth home that she's lived in in three short years. I wonder if she knows that I'm another temporary stop on her journey. I wonder if she thinks that all dogs spend their lives going from family to family, pack to pack. I hope and pray that her next stop will be her permanent home - for her, and for each of my fosters who have already had enough upheaval in their lives. There are times when it is unavoidable to give up a pet, or it is in their best interest, so I am not qualified to judge anyone who makes that decision. I know that foster pets are the lucky ones, able to live in a home instead of a shelter, their lives spared unlike most dogs in shelters. Still watching them try to adjust to their new circumstances can be difficult. So if you decide to adopt an adult dog, please be patient with them. Give them some time to settle in, and forgive any mistakes they make. It's not easy to go to a new home! But they need you, and if you give them that new home filled with love, they'll show you so much gratitude! Unless you adopt Ziggy, in which case he will just consider it his due. I think I may have mentioned this before, but he's not a normal dog.

Introducing Roxy

My foster dogs come from a wide variety of places.  Sometimes they are turned in by owners, sometimes they are transferred from another rescue group, and sometimes I go to a shelter and pick out a foster dog from those that are likely to be euthanized.  The ones I pick out myself tend to hold a very special place in my heart, and Roxy is one of those dogs.  I brought her home from a high-kill shelter three years ago, when she was just a puppy.  At the time I named her Pepsi.  She immediately captured my heart with her loving personality and her enthusiasm for everything in life. 

Roxy as a puppy

Pepsi was adopted by a great family and renamed Roxy.  She has grown up with a child her same age, and has not lost a bit of her enthusiasm for life.  Unfortunately her family recently had to return her due to economic circumstances, so yesterday Roxy came back home with me.

I was excited to see her again, but a bit concerned about how she would settle into a multi-dog and cat household after being an only pet for three years.  I need not have worried.  By the time night arrived, she was settled in on the bed with me, other foster dogs, and my cat Merlin.  She's made herself right at home, and she and Tulsa enjoy playing together.  I hope to start Canine Good Citizen classes with her soon, to help her learn a bit more self-control and basic obedience.  Like many dogs, she just needs to learn to control her extreme enthusiasm for people!  She's very smart and I think she's going to do great in class.

Roxy today

Ritter is a Bad Dog!

I usually don't like to be too negative about a foster dog, because no one wants to adopt a dog that is criticized by the foster parent.  But fortunately for me, Ritter has already been adopted!  I'm keeping him for the week because his new family is out of town, but he's going to his new house on Sunday.  And I don't think they are aware of this blog, so it should be safe to tell you all about Ritter. 

Ritter pretended to be a perfect dog when he came to my house.  He was perfect at his last foster home, but he was being picked on by bigger dogs, so he came to my house for his own safety.  At least that's what his last foster mom said.  After keeping him for two weeks, I think maybe he came here for her own safety.  And I already warned her if he gets returned, he's going to have to go back to her house or no one will be safe, most especially him!  I was mostly kidding, but don't tell her that.

It all started off so easily.  He was said to be house-trained, and good with other dogs, perfectly well behaved in the house and very affectionate.  Sounds great, right?  And for three days, he was.  Then the real Ritter appeared.  And I found out none of those things was true.  Except the last, which turned out to be not a good thing at all. 

House-trained?  Not really.  Oh, most of the time he does fine, but it seems he can't pass an empty dog crate without lifting his leg and urinating into the crate.  This may be because he hates the crate and is showing his displeasure, but keep in mind the only time he does this is when he is outside of the crate.  And okay fine, he's only done this twice in two weeks, despite constantly being around dog crates, but it's still really annoying, especially when said crates had a blanket and several dog toys in the line of fire. 

Good with other dogs?  Well, okay, yes.  It's true he's great with other pets, but he's also great at getting them into trouble.  He's found at least three different places to escape the fenced in yard, and then Tulsa just follows him right out into the surrounding fields.  He's a very bad influence, and I'm constantly worried about them getting out and getting hurt.  At least he's finding all the weak spots in the new fence so I can get them sealed up one at a time!  In the meantime, they're bringing in ticks from the fields, which somehow find their way to the couch and the bed and onto me - all in spite of their monthly flea/tick preventative. 

Well behaved in the house?  Sure, if you don't count the computer cord he ate one day while I was at work.  I was so careful after that - I knew he couldn't be trusted.  The cord had the chew-repellent cover on it, but that didn't stop him from chewing it into little pieces.  Fortunately I had a replacement cord.  I kept the computer in another room unless I was using it so he couldn't hurt it.  Then the next night while I was typing away, my computer went dim, and I looked down, and Ritter had crawled under the desk to chew up the other cord.  This was when I officially deemed him a Bad Dog. 

Very affectionate.  In spite of his Bad Dog designation, it's hard to be mad at the little guy when he just wants to be close to you.  And by close to you, I mean right in your face, laying on your chest like he's a cat, close to you.  And the more you push him away, the closer he insists on being, as if by scooting closer he can make you like him more.  This was annoying, but I could live with it.  Until he started hanging out by the rose bush outside, which is currently surrounded by poison ivy.  So now I have poison ivy on my legs and arms, thanks to one very affectionate Bad Dog.  Sunday is not getting here soon enough!

Ziggy's Profile Picture

Ziggy requested a new close-up picture for his profile page, so we had a short photo shoot where I took the following pictures.  Please let me know which one you like the best!

A) This is Ziggy when he is happy, because he is getting his own web page.

B) This is Ziggy pouting, when I tell him if he wants to keep his web page, he has to learn to whistle.  Because a dog who can whistle would be pretty cool.

C) This is focused Ziggy, trying to understand my instructions on how to whistle.

D) This is Ziggy trying to whistle.  Notice the puffed out cheeks as he tries his best.  Not bad for a deaf dog.

E)  This is disappointed Ziggy, when he found out that he wasn't whistling after all.

F) This is confused Ziggy, when I told him he could give up on whistling and learn to surf instead. 

G) This is Very Confused Ziggy, as I try to describe the ocean and a surfboard with sign language.

 H) This is happy and relieved Ziggy, after being reassured he doesn't really have to learn to surf.

Ziggy Becomes Famous (sort of)

Ziggy needs your help!  He has talked me into letting him get his own website -- apparently his very own fan page on my blog just wasn't enough.  I tried to get him to settle for a Facebook page, but he insisted that he needed his own web page too!   This dog is nothing but trouble, I tell you.  But since both his Facebook page and his own webpage are aimed at getting him his own home, I really can't complain.  I hear he's even recruited a friend to create some business cards for him.  I'm not sure where this all will end - but I hope it's with him getting adopted! 

Since he's just getting started with his own on-line presence, he's asking for your help.  He'd like to get his website up and running before his business cards arrive, and he wants to make sure that he presents himself in the best light possible.  So please, if you have a moment, visit his website and let him know what you think.  He'd really appreciate any suggestions for improvement.  The website will be changing quite a bit in the coming weeks, so if you see something you really like, let him know so he doesn't take it out.  And if there is something in particular that you think would help him get adopted (a funny Ziggy story, or a testimonial from one of his friends, for example), please share that as well! 

Here is Ziggy's website: http://www.adoptziggy.com/

If any of you have some website creation experience, and want to give Ziggy a hand, feel free to contact him at dogfostermom@aol.com.  Yes, he'll be getting his own e-mail address too - but for now, it's faster to reach him through me (his secretary). 

Thank you!
Dog Foster Mom

Introducing Ritter

Ritter is a Beagle mix, possibly with Dachshund.  He is about a year old, and he's a great dog.  He is housetrained and gets along well with the other dogs and the cats.  He loves to cuddle and he usually wants to be a lap dog. He is a little guy, but I don't think he's figured that out yet.  

He loves to play with Tulsa and Ziggy, and I can often find them off by themselves plotting some sort of mischief.  I think it's obvious that Ritter is calling the shots in these little pow-wows.

I took Ritter home last weekend because Target went out on a trial adoption!  He was adopted by a family with two children and another dog who looks remarkably similar to Target.  I hope that this trial goes well and Target has found his forever home!

Introducing Lovey

You may remember my feelings about cats known as "torties".  Honestly they scare me.  I've fostered several torties and they can be sweet, wonderful companions, but make them angry, and Watch Out!  Since fostering often requires making cats angry (taking them to adoption events, making them live in the same house with dogs, keeping their nails trimmed, sometimes giving them medicine, and never giving them as much attention as they'd like), I spend a lot of time being afraid of tortoiseshell cats. And now I've got a new tortoiseshell foster cat. 

Her last foster mom - or maybe the shelter where she was before that - named her Lovey.  I wonder if the person who named her was trying to negate her reputation as a cat with attitude.  Or maybe they have a sarcastic streak.  I'm sure that she wasn't named Lovey just because she's loveable.  That goes against everything I know and believe about torties.  Just look in her eyes.  Doesn't she look like she's thinking about five hundred different ways to harm me?

 

Sure, she pretends to be all sweet and loveable.  She purrs when I pet her, and she has yet to hiss or scratch or do anything even slightly scary.  But that just makes me more nervous, because I know it must be an act.  She's trying to lull me into a sense of complacency, but I'm too smart to fall for that.  

Lovey is FIV positive, just like Belle.  That's why I brought her home, so they could become friends.  But now I realize what a mistake that was.

Oh they've become friends all right.  In no time at all, they were sharing a cat tower.  When I entered the room to take this photo, it appeared that Belle was sleeping and Lovey was relaxing on the tower.  But I have my suspicions.  See the way the carpet is bunched up under Belle's head?  And how Lovey is lying on the edge of the platform instead of the middle of it?  These are clues, you know.  Clues that suggest perhaps the two cats had just rushed into their spots when they heard me coming down the hall.  And perhaps prior to that, they were huddled together, planning something.  They think they've gotten away with it, but I'm not fooled.  I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on these two.

Ziggy is Perplexing

I have read a lot on dog body language, but Ziggy's body language isn't covered in any book I've read.  Maybe you can help me out.  What do you think it means when he takes random gigantic steps with his back legs?

And sometimes he gets weird expressions on his face.  

Right before he falls over for no good reason.  What does it all mean?? 

Okay, he doesn't really randomly fall over.  He does get over-exuberant and probably tripped over his own feet right before I took this picture.  I'm sure there is nothing medically wrong with him - but mentally, well, he may have a not-yet diagnosed issue.  For now, I just call it Zigginess.

Introducing Duchess

Saturday my foster dog Cleo was returned.  Since Cleo likes to chase cats, and since she is able to escape my fence, I made a switch with another volunteer and took home Duchess instead.  Duchess was adopted out five years ago as a puppy, and recently her family lost their home and had to give her up.  She is a wonderful dog - sweet, easy-going, and very well behaved.  She does well with all the other dogs and the cats.  It's only been two days, but so far she is absolutely perfect.  

Update on my life

There have been a lot of changes since I returned from vacation two days ago. Tulsa, Ziggy and Bunny are back home with me. Toby did not come back home. He was staying at a foster home where he got to sleep on the bed and be totally spoiled. He was very happy there and his new foster mom said he could stay, so I reluctantly agreed. Actually I thanked her profusely and was very relieved. That's because this is National Return Month. It happens every year around this time. Adoptions slow down and we get call after call from adopters needing to return their pets. I don't know why the returns don't happen when adoptions are high - it would be so much easier. Instead all of our foster homes are full with fosters that aren't being adopted, and then the returns start coming in. So far this month I've had three calls about returns. First was Target, who was adopted out and then came back while I was on vacation. He's back home with me again and doing great (if you don't count the flip-flops he ate and the accident he had on my bed...sigh). Next is Stormy, a kitten adopted about a month ago who stopped using the litterbox. She will be going to the vet to get checked for a medical condition and then may or may not be returned. And last is Pepsi, a pit bull that I fostered about three years ago. Her family has to give her up and I'll be getting her back in another couple of weeks. Several other foster homes have also been getting returns this past week, so we're all hoping for a good weekend of adoptions. We're going to hold an extra adoption event on Sunday to try to get our foster pets seen by as many people as possible. I'll also be getting my cat Merlin back this weekend, as well as my foster cat Belle and a new foster cat named Lovey. I was supposed to be taking in three kittens as well, but fortunately their temporary foster mom fell in love with them while I was on vacation and is going to keep fostering them. I am not sure where they would go!


As soon as I get my act together, I'll have more pictures and stories for the blog. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these final vacation photos from Waterton Lakes, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Tetons National Park.

Target was Adopted! And more bears...

I just received the news that Target was adopted last weekend!  I had reviewed the adoption application before leaving and I think it'll be a great home for Target.   I am very grateful for the many foster homes who fit in an extra foster pet so I could go on vacation.  Judy took Target, Bunny went to Lisa, Belle and Toby went to Bev, Tulsa went to Donna and my husband Dave got stuck with has Ziggy, as well as Noelle and Remi.  Yep, I went on vacation without him.  Someone had to take care of Ziggy while I was gone!

I'm still here in Canada, vacationing with my parents and my sister Traci.  We've done a lot of hiking and sightseeing.  We've seen countless waterfalls, mountain lakes, bison, bighorn sheep, elk and deer.  And lately, several bears as well.  For any other wildlife fans out there, here are a few of my favorite bear pictures from the past few days:

Thanks for bearing with me as I post vacation photos.  I promise to return to dog pictures and foster-related blog posts very soon!

Vacation

I've now left Montana and moved north to Canada.  It's nice here.  There are a lot of wild animals, like deer...

and elk...

and even bears....

but no matter where I go, I keep seeing this guy.  I've named him Ziggy and I think he's following me.